The concept of job stress is often confused with challenge, but these concepts are not the same. Challenge energizes us emotionally and physically. Challenge motivates us to learn new skills and master our jobs.
When a challenge is met, we feel relaxed and satisfied.
Thus, challenge is an important ingredient for healthy and productive work. The importance of challenge is our work lives is probably what people are referring to when they say “a little bit of stress is good for you.”
But “challenge” can quickly turn into feeling “stressed out” when job demands cannot be met, relaxation turns into exhaustion and a sense of satisfaction turns into feelings of stress.
Job Stress and Health
Stress sets off an alarm in the brain, which responds by preparing the body for defensive action. The nervous system is aroused and hormones are released to sharpen the senses, quicken the pulse, deepen respiration, and tense the muscles.
This response is important because it helps us defend against threatening situations. The response is preprogrammed biologically. Everyone responds in much the same way, regardless of whether the stressful situation is at work or home.
Short-lived or infrequent episodes of stress pose little risk. But when stressful situations go unresolved, the body is kept in a constant state of activation, which increases the rate of wear and tear to biological systems. Ultimately, fatigue or damage results, and the ability of the body to repair and defend itself can become seriously compromised. As a result, the risk of injury or disease escalates.
In the past 20 years, many studies have looked at the relationship between job stress and a variety of ailments. Mood and sleep disturbances, upset stomach and headache, and disturbed relationships with family and friends are examples of stress-related problems that are quick to develop and are commonly seen in these studies.
These early signs of job stress are usually easy to recognize.
But the effects of job stress on chronic diseases are more difficult to see because chronic diseases take a long time to develop and can be influenced by many factors other than stress.
Nonetheless, evidence is rapidly accumulating to suggest that stress plays an important role in several types of chronic health problems-especially cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, and psychological disorders.
Author: Asha Pereira- USA